Deptford Literature Festival 2023 Programme

18 MARCH 2023 

Saturday 

#DeptfordLitFest 

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WELCOME 

Welcome to Deptford Literature Festival, celebrating the diversity and creativity of Deptford and 

Lewisham through words, stories and performance. 

The programme invites you to explore what literature means to us today in Deptford, with many 

events programmed under the Festival themes of nature, climate and food. The programme 

features workshops, talks, walks and performances, including ways for you to get involved from 

home. We also have a special programme of family and children’s activities run by Round Table 

Books for our younger Festival goers (see pages 17 and 18). 

All the Festival workshops are open to writers with different levels of experience — from regular 

writers to complete beginners. Unless otherwise stated, all events in this programme take place 

on Saturday 18 March. 

Come along and check out local literary talent and organisations; Deptford Literature Festival is 

for anyone who wants to have a go. 

Deptford Literature Festival is run by Spread the Word with creative producer Tom MacAndrew 

and funded by Arts Council England with support from The Albany and Deptford Lounge. 

HOW TO BOOK 

Book your tickets and find out more at: deptfordlitfest.com or the QR code on the brochure cover. 

Please note that the general programme of events is suitable for ages 16+ unless otherwise stated. 

For the children’s and family programme, please see each event for its recommended age range. All 

children attending family events must be accompanied by a parent or carer. 

For travel information and a map of Festival venues, see page 22. 

All events are free, except the Caleb Femi x SLOGhouse event at The Albany which has free tickets 

available for low income Lewisham residents. Please see the Festival website for more information. 

Tickets can be booked for all in-person and livestreamed events on our ticketing platform Eventbrite. 

If you are experiencing difficulties making a booking, please contact: 

festival@spreadtheword.org.uk 

For programme updates, please follow the Festival hashtag #DeptfordLitFest 

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All Deptford Literature Festival events are BSL interpreted and marked in the programme with 

All events are wheelchair accessible, with accessible toilets, except Isla Ray Café which doesn’t have 

an accessible toilet. A quiet space is available during the day at Deptford Lounge, in the Music Room, 

on the first floor. 

Entelechy Arts’ Ambient Jam Collective event at The Albany is a relaxed performance. 

Six events will be livestreamed and live captioned. The Disabled Poets Prize Award Announcement 

will be livestreamed with BSL and live captioning. The link to the livestream for each event will be 

emailed to ticket holders prior to the Festival day. 

Deptford Lounge has Changing Place facilities, an induction loop and assistance dogs are welcome. 

For more information visit: deptfordlounge.org.uk/access 

The Albany has an induction loop and assistance dogs are welcome. Free tickets can be booked for 

companions or personal assistants. For more information visit: thealbany.org.uk/accessibility 

For travel to the Festival and parking see page 22. 

ACCESS 

If you require additional access provision in order to attend or take part in the Festival, for example 

larger print handouts at workshops, or a Scribe, please get in touch before the Festival day at: 

access@spreadtheword.org.uk 

If you require assistance on the Festival day itself, please come to the Festival Hub in the foyer of 

Deptford Lounge where we will be happy to help you. 

COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS – Keeping You Safe 

Keeping you safe is our priority. 

We politely ask anyone displaying Covid-like symptoms not to attend the Festival and we encourage 

you to consider wearing a mask as some of our artists and audiences may be vulnerable. 

We may ask some audiences for specific events to wear masks unless exempt due to the health of 

facilitators / speakers at the event they are running. We will email these event attendees with this 

request in advance of the Festival. 

Masks will be available at the Festival Hub in Deptford Lounge. There will be hand sanitiser and air 

filters for events and workshops in the following spaces at Deptford Lounge: Main Hall, Room 1, 

Room 2, Room 3 and the Studio. 

Please make sure you check our website and your ticket email confirmations and reminders for the 

most up to date COVID-19 guidance to help ensure your safety and wellbeing at Deptford Literature 

Festival. 

Book your tickets: deptfordlitfest.com 2

FESTIVAL STALLS & SIGNINGS 

Books by Deptford Literature Festival writers and artists will be available to buy from The Word 

bookshop (fiction, nonfiction and poetry for adults) and Round Table Books (children and young adult 

titles). 

Local publishers and literature organisations including Fitzcarraldo Editions and Arachne Press will 

have stalls with titles to browse and buy. 

Author Angela Catherine Cain will be selling and talking about her book Deptford Show Ground that 

follows the fortunes of her great grandfather, a travelling showman, his wife and family who ran the 

Deptford Show Ground from 1890, which stood on the site of Deptford Lounge until 1961. 

Book signings by featured Festival authors will take place in the foyer of Deptford Lounge soon after 

events have taken place. Books need to be purchased in advance of signings. 

GIVING BACK 

In recognition of the impact of the cost of living on many within our community, we are putting in 

place the following for this year’s Festival: 

A community mutual aid notice board in the foyer at Deptford Lounge, inviting people to buy a book 

from one of the Festival booksellers, if they can, for people who cannot afford one. 

A collection point for a local food bank. If you are in a position to donate, please watch out for the 

list of items that are needed by the food bank on our social media in the run up to the Festival and 

bring your donation to the Festival Hub at Deptford Lounge on the Festival day between 10am–5pm. 

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Book your tickets: deptfordlitfest.com

FESTIVAL AT HOME 

There are lots of ways you can take part in Deptford Literature Festival at Home. 

Festival writers Laurie Bolger, Khairani Barokka, Nadine Matheson and Tice Cin have created writing 

workshops for you to do in your own space and time that will be available to download in PDF format 

from the Festival website. 

Seven of our events will be livestreamed and you can book tickets to tune into these from home. 

Festival writers Tice Cin and Carinya Sharples have made short captioned films with writing exercises 

for you to do at home, which will be available from the Festival website. 

FESTIVAL ANTHOLOGY by TOKEN MAGAZINE 

A special Deptford Literature Festival 2023 anthology, 

produced by TOKEN Magazine and edited by local writer 

Sara Jafari is free and available to pick up at the Festival. 

It features short stories and creative nonfiction inspired 

by the Festival themes of nature, climate and food. 

Illustration by Raahat Kaduji 

The anthology will be launched at a pre-Festival event at 

Isla Ray Café on Friday 17 March from 6:30pm till late, 

with contributors reading from 7.30pm. 

Book your tickets: deptfordlitfest.com 

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FESTIVAL IN THE PARK 

CREATING WITH DEPTFORD NATURE hosted by LAURA & LILI 

Time: 10am–4.30pm 

Location: Brookmill Park 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

accessible toilet, paths are tarmac, 

bench seating available 

Join Laura Barker and LiLi K. Bright for a day of creativity and 

writing workshops inspired by and exploring nature, climate 

and science in Brookmill Park. 

Open to all ages. Parents, guardians or carers must stay with their children during these events. 

The workshops will be taking place outdoors, so please dress for the weather! 

10am – 12pm Climate Imaginarium 

Explore climate science and solutions through interactive games using writing and imagination to 

explore cause and effect, creating new science fiction. 

1pm – 3pm Divination and Dreams 

Are you dreaming now? An interactive writing workshop working with found materials from nature 

and collective consciousness. 

3.30pm – 4.30pm Birds + Words: Spells or Science? 

Craft a spell inspired by Brookmill Park birds and their scientific names. In this relaxed, outdoor 

workshop, we’ll create collective names for birds and write bird conjurings inspired by the local 

birdlife. Guided by creative prompts and writing activities, you’ll write stories, poetry and prose, and 

explore the enchanting nature of Brookmill Park. 

Supported by the Friends of Brookmill Park. 

Photo credit: Julia Rowntree 

5 Book your tickets: deptfordlitfest.com

FESTIVAL WALK 

BLACK HISTORY WALKING TOUR OF DEPTFORD by JODY BURTON 

Photo credit: Judith Burton 

Time: Anytime 

Location: Start and finish at Deptford Lounge 

Length: 5 miles 

Price: FREE 

Access: Transcript available. Route is along paved roads, 

with some cobbled sections 

Explore the long history of Black presence in the Deptford area, connecting the locality, the 

fundamental role Deptford played in the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the challenging history of race 

and resistance. 

This self-guided walk will highlight key locations and figures including: St Nicholas Church, Master 

Shipwrights House and Deptford Docks, Stephen Lawrence and Olaudah Equiano. 

Written by Lewisham resident Jody Burton, co-author of Black London: History, Art and Culture in 

Over 120 Places. 

Download the audio tour, transcript and a PDF map from the Festival website. Maps and transcripts 

will also be available at the Festival Hub in Deptford Lounge. 

EVENTS & WORKSHOPS 

ALL YOU CAN DO IS HUM by JOSHUA IDEHEN 

Time: 10.15am–11am 

Location: Main Hall, Deptford Lounge 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

All You Can Do Is Hum is a dynamic spoken word/ music performance by Joshua Idehen. Exploring 

his own experiences of isolation and a sense of not belonging, the show invites audiences to come 

together to ‘spin grief into joy’ through the power of words and music. Inspired by Nigerian churches, 

Idehen’s charismatic ‘sermon leader’ will transform strangers into a united ‘congregation’, lifting his 

audience up through the creative magic of poetry and energetic beats. 

Produced by Speaking Volumes. Funded by Arts Council England. 


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IDENTITIES & NATURE: 

Photo credit: Sabiheh Awanzai 

WORKSHOP with OAKLEY FLANAGAN 

and COURTNEY CONRAD 

Time: 10am–11am 

Location: Room 3, Deptford Lounge 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

Join a co-facilitated workshop on nature poetry, sexuality and race with 

Oakley Flanagan and Courtney Conrad. These writing exercises will generate 

new nature poems. Participants who attend this workshop will have the 

opportunity to read the poems they’ve created to a live audience. 

READING with OAKLEY FLANAGAN, 

COURTNEY CONRAD and CECILIA KNAPP 

Time: 11.30am–12.30pm 

Location: the Studio, Deptford Lounge 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

Oakley Flanagan will be reading from G&T, forthcoming with Out-Spoken Press. Courtney Conrad 

(Eric Gregory Award Winner) will read work inspired by themes of food, Caribbean migration and 

nature. Cecilia Knapp will be reading from Peach Pig. They will be joined by workshop participants 

sharing new work created earlier in the day. 

WRITING ABOUT LABOUR RIGHTS with POETRY LONDON 

Time: 10am–11.30am 


Price: FREE 

Access: 

How do we craft class-aware poems that fit into the notion of 

a social poetics? This workshop will explore how the labour 

movement has been written about by workers themselves, 

taking a specific look at the poetry written in the wake of the Bisbee Deportation of 1917, when 1,200 

striking miners and their families were banished from a copper town in the southern mountains of 

Arizona. Led by Declan Ryan for Poetry London. 



CREATIVE WRITING & MINDFULNESS FOR 

FAMILIES with LAURIE BOLGER 

Time: 

For: 

Location: 

Price: 

Access: 

11am–1pm 

Children / young people (aged 4 to 14) and families. 

Parents, guardians or carers must stay with their children 

during this workshop. 

Foyer, Deptford Lounge 

FREE 

Are you a young aspiring writer or a family based in Lewisham? Join Lewisham poet Laurie Bolger 

for some mindful scribbling in celebration of kindness to ourselves. Laurie will guide you through 

playful creative exercises to boost your wellbeing and celebrate the things around us. You are 

welcome to join this relaxed session to write, create, express yourself and share your thoughts on 

writing and creativity. 

Drop in for any part of the session or stay for the whole duration. Together we’ll do some fun activities 

to get your words flowing, express what’s important to you and imagine a more creative future for 

Lewisham — and you. 

WRITING LEWISHAM: A CREATIVE CONVERSATION 

with CARINYA SHARPLES 

Time: 2pm–4pm 


Price: FREE 

Access: 

Are you a writer or aspiring writer based in Lewisham? Join Carinya 

Sharples for a relaxed session to share your thoughts on writing 

and creativity in Lewisham, get to know other writers in your area, 

and most importantly, write! Whether you write regularly or have 

never written creatively before, you are very welcome. We will be 

doing a few creative-writing activities to get the words flowing 

and exploring ideas for creativity in the borough. 


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IMAGINING FANTASY WORLDS & BODIES: 

JUDITH BRYAN INTERVIEWS LEONE ROSS 

ABOUT WORLD BUILDING 

Time: 11.30am–12.30pm 

Location: in-person: Main Hall, Deptford Lounge; 

online: livestreamed 

Price: 

Access: 

FREE 

in person: 

online: live captioned 

Local author Leone Ross has been writing the fantastical – erotic horror, magic realism, Caribbeanflavoured 

fantasy — for decades and is best known for her critically acclaimed novel This One Sky 

Day/Popisho (Faber, 2021) and collection of weird and wonderful short stories in Come Let Us Sing 

Anyway (Peepal Tree Press, 2019). She is the editor of Glimpse, the first-ever collection of Black British 

speculative fiction (Peepal Tree Press, 2022). 

Now Ross sits down with close friend, playwright and novelist Judith Bryan to discuss the technical 

and emotional process of creating new worlds and strange people. The interview will cover the highs 

and lows of story-making, include short readings — and give you the chance to ask any questions you 

would like to both writers. 

EXPERIMENTS WITH FORM WORKSHOP 

with NATASHA BROWN 

Time: 12.30pm–2pm 


Price: FREE 

Access: 

Natasha Brown, author of Assembly, shortlisted for the Folio Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize and the 

Orwell Prize for Fiction, leads a participatory workshop exploring form. Participants will be able to 

explore how experiments with language and structure can bring another dimension to their writing. 

Drawing on form-defying work from authors such as Meena Kandasamy, Lydia Davis, Claudia Rankine 

and others, participants will examine different approaches with plenty of opportunities for hands-on 

literary experiments. 



DISABILITY POETICS 

with DANIEL SLUMAN and KHAIRANI BAROKKA 


Location: in-person: the Studio, Deptford Lounge; 


Price: 

Access: 

FREE 

in-person: 

;online: live captioned 

Disability poetry is an important area of literature. However, there 

has been a real lack of discussion about the poetics of disability, and 

the concepts and experiences that disabled writers share. 

Photo credit: Naomi Woddis 

This event will be a conversation between Daniel Sluman whose collection Single Window (Nine 

Arches Press, 2021) was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize and Khairani Barokka whose collection 

Ultimatum Orangutan (Nine Arches Press, 2021) was shortlisted for the Barbellion Prize, about the 

barriers faced in reaching publication as well as the ideas and experiences that inform their work and 

make their own ‘disability poetics’ unique, alongside a reading from their work. 

Photo credit: Matthew Thompson 

HOW MEMORY SURVIVES: THE DRUM 

with CHRISTXPHER OLIVER and 

VÉRONIQUE BELINGA 


Location: Irie Dance Theatre, Moonshot Centre 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

How Memory Survives: The Drum is a performance-based 

workshop exploring African and African-Caribbean literature 

through the drum. The workshop will focus on the materials 

used to make the drum, and how drumming has been used 

as a tool to gather community, sound resistance, and preserve 

cultural memory. In the workshop, participants will also be 

prompted to reflect on how drum rhythms connect the African 

continent with the Caribbean and Britain. 


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ON NATURE AND THE NATURAL: 

A READING by JAMIE HALE 


Location: in-person: the Studio, Deptford Lounge; 


Price: 

Access: 

FREE 

in person: 

; online: live captioned 

Where does the othered body belong in the natural world? This poetry reading from former Jerwood 

Poetry Fellow, Jamie Hale, explores the queer, trans, and crip body, siting it within nature, and nature 

within it. They will be reading from their acclaimed pamphlet, Shield, as well as sharing new work, 

trying to unpick what it means to truly be a part of nature — especially when you’re told bodies like 

yours never will. 

FITZCARRALDO EDITIONS present 

SHORT STORIES with VANESSA ONWUEMEZI, 

ANNA WOOD and ALICE SLATER 

Photo credit: Lewis Khan 

Time: 2.30pm–3.30pm 

Location: in-person: Main Hall, Deptford Lounge; 


Price: 

Access: 

FREE 

in person: 


Fitzcarraldo Editions are internationally renowned and Prizewinning 

publishers based in Deptford. They present two exciting 

UK based short story writers – Vanessa Onwuemezi and Anna 

Wood in conversation with the author Alice Slater. Enjoy and 

participate in a conversation with the authors about the power, 

possibilities, and limitations of the short story. The three writers 

will discuss shared themes in their work as well as craft and the 

short story form. 



ENTELECHY ARTS present AMBIENT JAM COLLECTIVE 

Photo credit: Samuel Dore 

Time: 2pm–3.30pm 

Location: The Albany Theatre 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

; relaxed performance 

Ambient Jam Collective invites you to an immersive, inclusive, sensory ‘happening’ where gesture 

and sound become poetry and non-verbal stories emerge. 

Expect the unexpected with an immersive multi-sensory happening by a vibrant community of 

differently abled people and artists. Ambient Jam improvisations are playful, mindful, surreal, 

and sometimes wondrously messy; conjuring sensory ways of being that benefit us all. Enjoy an 

unfolding, evolving landscape where you can hang out and just be, or join in and improvise with us, 

or a bit of both. 

Ambient Jam Collective has grown from a 32-year collaboration of weekly improvisation between 

people with profound, complex and learning disabilities (PMLD) and dance/music/sculpture artists. 

Deeply rooted in South-East London, but owned by everyone. It is an improvisation to deinstitutionalise 

ourselves. 

Drop in for any part of the event or stay for the whole duration. 


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THE GIRL, THE STAR AND THE END OF ALL THINGS: 

STORYTELLING with NIALL MOORJANI 


Location: Isla Ray Café 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

; nearest accessible toilet is Deptford Lounge 

“The pale man has stolen the moon. Devastated by the 

loss of her love, the sun has stopped shining. The world 

has turned grey with rain, flooding the land, and with 

no sunlight the plants may cease to grow. 

All seems lost, but for one girl and a star who want to help. Together they travel the world looking for 

answers in the shape of giants, witches and dragons to save the dying world…” 

Award winning local storyteller Niall Moorjani gives a one-off performance of their much-loved 

storytelling show for adults, with live music from Tom Birch. Come for the queer and BPOC fantasy, 

stay for the hopeful messaging about saving the world from the end of all things. 

I KNOW A SPOT: 

FOOD AND PLACE with TICE CIN 



Price: FREE 

Access: 

We often associate the places we know deeply with the 

foods that bring them to life. What does it mean to archive 

foods that make a place through writing? Interdisciplinary 

artist Tice Cin will lead us through writing exercises inspired by Food TikTok, our local surroundings 

and writing from the likes of poet Romalyn Ante, novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson and food writer 

Rebecca May Johnson. Through this you will see that detailed sensory writing can activate the 

heartiest of writing. 



DISABLED POETS PRIZE 2023 

AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT 


Location: online event with screening in the Studio, Deptford Lounge 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

; live captioned 

Join us for the announcement of the national Prize for deaf and disabled poets prize-winners and 

highly commended poets in the inaugural Disabled Poets Prize. With a range of voices, styles, and 

approaches, celebrate the talents and successes of writers from deaf and disabled communities. 

Founded by Jamie Hale, the Disabled Poets Prize aims to find the best work created by UK based deaf 

and disabled poets and offers significant professional development opportunities for the winning 

writers, including a publication deal with Verve Poetry Press and development prizes from Spread the 

Word, CRIPtic Arts, The Literary Consultancy and Arvon Foundation. 

The Prizes for best single poem and best unpublished pamphlet will be announced by Jamie, and the 

prize-winners from across the UK will read from their work. 

MATCHSTICK THEATRE COMPANY 

presents HITS AND PIECES 


Location: Matchstick Pie House 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

Deptford-based Matchstick Theatre Company supports new 

writing and champions original theatre. This January, Matchstick 

Theatre Company launched Hits and Pieces – a night of original 

short plays all inspired by a popular song. 

This special Deptford Literature Festival event will feature four 

short pieces by local writers all inspired by a song, chosen via an 

online poll, that references one of Deptford Literature Festival’s 

themes for 2023: climate, nature or food. 


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CRIME WRITERS OF SOUTH LONDON IN CONVERSATION 


Location: in-person: Main Hall, Deptford Lounge 


Price: 

Access: 

FREE 

in-person: 


Join bestselling and award-winning local crime authors: Nadine 

Matheson whose debut, The Jigsaw Man (HarperCollins, 2021), has 

been translated into 15 languages and second novel, The Binding Room, 

featuring DI Henley and the Serial Crimes Unit was published in July 

2022; Adam Simcox whose supernatural crime thriller The Generation 

Killer (Gollancz, 2022) is part of his debut series, The Dying Squad and 

Lara Thompson whose debut novel, One Night, New York (Virago, 2021) 

was shortlisted for The Guardian’s 2022 CrimeFest and Specsavers Crime 

Fiction Debut Awards as they discuss their work, the influence of local 

places in their writing, their different paths into publishing and building 

a career as a commercial fiction writer. 

Chaired by Spread the Word’s Bobby Nayyar. 

QUEER POETRY AT TRIANGLE 


Location: Triangle LGBTQ+ Cultural Centre 

Price: FREE 

Access: 

Celebrate LGBTQ+ poetry at Triangle LGBTQ+ Cultural 

Centre with open mic slots, featured artists, and headline 

sets from Ollie O’Neill and Remi Graves. Bring your page/ 

concrete poetry to add to our gallery, put your name in the 

hat to share your words in the open mic, sell your zines and 

books in our pop-up bookshop and enjoy a drink or three 

in the cosy social club bar. Presented by Triangle LGBTQ+ 

Cultural Centre and SL Grange. 



CALEB FEMI X SLOGHOUSE present 

BLINDMOUTH 


Location: in-person: The Albany Theatre 


Price: £10. Free tickets available for low income Lewisham 

residents — see Festival website for details. 

Access: in-person: ; online: live captioned 

Photo credit: Charlotte Morgan 

Caleb Femi x SLOGhouse present an evening of film, 

poetry and music. Capturing the energy of a South 

London party/ club, this event will feature a new short, 

abstract film, exploring the theme of community, 

accompanied by performances from SLOGhouse poets 

and DJs including James Massiah, Latekid & fwrdmtn, 

Danielle Wilde and Dillon Kalyabe. 

The film, performances and DJ will draw on the new 

direction of Caleb’s work, building on the themes of 

his prize-winning collection POOR and dealing with 

community, designed spaces, archiving and joy. 

SLOGhouse is an institution of creative play and 

expression, blending art forms, mediums and genres 

to respond to community discussions. 

Tickets available at: thealbany.org.uk/shows-and-events 


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CHILDREN’S & FAMILY EVENTS 

A day of special events for younger members of our community and their families. Four events are 

delivered in collaboration with Round Table Books. 

All children’s and family events are FREE to attend and take place at Deptford Lounge Children’s 

Library, 9 Giffin Street, London SE8 4RJ and are BSL interpreted. 

Parents, guardians or carers must stay with their children during these events, apart from Milk Honey 

Bees where parents, guardians or carers are required to stay nearby in Deptford Lounge. 

There will be fresh fruit and healthy snacks available for children attending the workshops. 

I AM NEFERTITI! SING-A-LONG 

with ANNEMARIE ANANG 

Time: 10am–10.45am 

Age recommendation: 3–7 years 

Access: 

Join Annemarie Anang for an empowering story-time with 

her debut children’s book I am Nefertiti! Sing-a-long with 

her ukulele and learn about some of the wonderful global 

instruments in the story. 

SUNFLOWER SISTERS 

READING AND WORKSHOP 

with MONIKA SINGH GANGOTRA 

Time: 11.30am–12.15pm 


Access: 

Join Dr Monika Singh Gangotra for a reading and 

inspirational workshop. Inspired by joy and colourful 

celebrations, her book Sunflower Sisters is a journey of 

self-love and sisterhood, empowering women and girls 

everywhere. During this interactive session, children will 

have the chance to get creative and celebrate their identities 

and cultures. 

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Book your tickets: deptfordlitfest.com

CHILDREN’S & FAMILY EVENTS 

JOYFUL, JOYFUL STORY-MAKING 

WORKSHOP with DAPO ADEOLA AND 

FUNMBI OMOTAYO 



Access: 

After an introduction to the book Joyful, Joyful, a gorgeous 

collection of stories and poems celebrating joy, showcasing 

40 talented Black writers and artists from across the world, 

join illustrator, curator and collaborator Dapo Adeola and 

author Funmbi Omotayo for a story-making workshop. In 

this interactive session, children can celebrate the joy in 

their lives and identities and work together to create their 

very own story with support from Dapo and Funmbi. 

MILK HONEY BEES with 

EBINEHITA IYERE 


For: Young Black women aged 14 and above 

Access: 

Join Ebinehita Iyere alongside authors of Girlhood Unfiltered 

for an intimate creative workshop! Ebinehita is the founder 

of Milk Honey Bees — a creative and expressive safe space 

for young Black women and girls to put H.E.R (Healing, 

Empowerment and Resilience) first. It’s more than just an 

organisation: it’s a sisterhood, a family. Their essay collection 

Girlhood Unfiltered reflects on the multifaceted experience 

of Black girlhood. Ebinehita will be asking what H.E.R. 

means in an interactive talking workshop. Ask questions, 

share and hear stories, and be a part of this empowering 

collective. 

Photo credit: Aashfaria A. Anwar 

Book your tickets: deptfordlitfest.com 18

COMMUNITY PROJECTS 

In addition to its public programme, Deptford Literature Festival is delivering community 

engagement projects in the local area. 

LEWISHAM COMEDY NOVICES 

Working with Phoenix Community Housing during January and February, Lewisham Comedy Novices 

offered local housing association residents and tenants the chance to try something new by giving 

stand-up comedy a go in a positive and encouraging environment, via a series of workshops led by 

professional comedian Bentley Browning. 

Come and support the Lewisham Comedy Novices who will be performing their debut routines at a 

free pre-Festival event hosted by Bentley at The Fellowship Inn, Bellingham on Monday 13 March, 

7pm-8.30pm. 

Access: accessible toilets on both floors, lift. 

Tickets can be booked through the Festival website: 

deptfordlitfest.com 

Lewisham Comedy Novices is funded by Phoenix Community Chest 

YOUNG PEOPLE’S FILM-IN-A-DAY 

Working with Youth First, Lewisham’s youth 

service provider, who run youth centres 

and playgrounds across the borough, and 

artists Kobi Essah and Mmoloki Chrystie, 

the Festival has been engaging local 

young people from Woodpecker Youth 

Club with words, stories and film-making. 

Participants aged 11-16 years worked across 

February half term to create a film-in-a-day 

responding to their concerns and interests. 

A premiere of the film will take place at the 

Youth Club to the young people’s friends 

and families. 

The young people’s film will be available to watch on the Festival website. 

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SUPPORT THE FESTIVAL 

Deptford Literature Festival celebrates local talent and introduces exciting new writers from Lewisham 

and nearby boroughs. 

We want everyone to be able to join in the workshops, readings, events and community projects for 

free. We do not want finances to be a barrier to anyone taking part. 

If you are in a position to make a donation, please give a gift today. Anything you give will help more 

people come to future Festivals for free. Our typical ticket price, without donations, is £10. 

Please give what you can through this link: totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/deptfordlitfest 

or use the QR code below. 

The organisers behind the Deptford Literature Festival are Spread the Word, a registered charity 

that has to raise all the funds to pay local writers, host events and make them accessible to our 

communities. 

Make a donation: 

Tell us what you thought: 

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THE FESTIVAL 

We’d love to know what you thought of your experience at Deptford Literature Festival 2023. 

Through the Festival you’ll find QR codes linking you to a feedback form where you can share your 

thoughts and experiences at the Festival. By completing the form you could win one of 4x £20 

book tokens. 

Festival volunteers can also support you to share your feedback online or on a paper form, and there 

will be opportunities for you to share your ideas for future Deptford Literature Festivals. 

Give your feedback through this link: bit.ly/DLF23feedback or the QR code above. 

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Photo credits Kashif Haque 

FESTIVAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT 

Sustainability is fundamental to Deptford Literature Festival. We acknowledge the climate emergency 

and the impacts it is having on our communities in Lewisham. 

We are committed to mitigating the environmental impacts of creating a live festival, reducing our 

carbon footprint and advocating for action on climate change, through: 

• Promoting and sign-posting Festival goers, artists, suppliers and team to use local public 

transport links or to walk or cycle to attend the Festival; 

• Reducing use of single use plastic by providing drinking water in glass bottles and 

recyclable cups in workshop spaces in Deptford Lounge and having a water dispenser in 

the foyer for filling water bottles; 

• Reducing printed paper usage with all Festival events bookable online for digital tickets; 

• Using email, social media and the Festival website to communicate about the Festival; 

• Producing our Festival brochure online and, where printed, using recyclable material using 

FSC standard paper, and ensuring it is recycled after its use; 

• Prioritising working with local organisations and businesses as suppliers to keep travel 

down to a minimum and help keep money circulating within the local community; 

• Working with our partner venues, to operate a system through which we seek to recycle the 

maximum amount of waste produced on site; 

• Programming talks, workshops and artistic commissions responding to the natural world, 

directly addressing the relationship between people and the environment, shining a light 

on some of the most critical issues of our times. 

We welcome your thoughts and ideas on how we can continue to improve the sustainability of the 

Festival. Please email: festival@spreadtheword.org.uk 

21

GETTING TO DEPTFORD 

Train: Deptford (2 min walk to Deptford Lounge) 

Access: lift to both platforms, step free access 

DLR: Deptford Bridge (9 min walk to Deptford Lounge) 

Access: lift to both platforms, step free access 

Train/overground: New Cross (8 min walk to Deptford Lounge) 

Access: lift to platforms, ramp for train access, step free access, staff help available 

Buses: 47 / 53/ 177 / 188 / 199 / 225 / 253 

FESTIVAL MAP 

Deptford Lounge is the Hub of the Festival and where you’ll be able to get more information about 

what is taking place during the day and evening. 

Bike parking: Spaces outside Deptford Lounge and The Albany. 

A. Deptford Lounge 

9 Giffin Street, London SE8 4RJ 

B. The Albany 

Douglas Way, London, SE8 4AG 

C. Brookmill Park 

47 Brookmill Road, 

London, SE8 4JP 

D. Irie Dance Theatre 

Moonshot Centre, Angus Street, 

London, SE14 6LU 

E. Isla Ray Café 

37 Deptford High Street, 

London, SE8 4AD 

F. Matchstick Piehouse 

Railway Arches, 213–214 Edward St, 

London, SE8 5HD 

G. Triangle LGBTQ+ 

Cultural Centre, 34 Watson’s St, 

London, SE8 4AU 

Festival Map online: 

Disabled car parking: Franklin Street car park is the closest to Deptford Lounge with seven disabled 

bays. The pay-and-display parking bays are 77 steps away from the Lounge. 

Taxi drop off point: If you are travelling via taxi, the drop off point is on Giffin Street directly next to 

Deptford Lounge. 

22

THANKS 

We are grateful to our principal funders Arts Council England. Thanks also to 

our main partners The Albany and Deptford Lounge for their support. Thanks 

to Phoenix Community Chest for supporting Lewisham Comedy Novices. 

Thank you to our partners Fitzcarraldo Editions, the Friends of Brookmill 

Park, Round Table Books, TOKEN Magazine, Poetry London, Entelechy Arts, 

Moonshot Centre, Irie Dance Theatre, Arachne Press, Isla Ray Café, Matchstick 

Piehouse, Matchstick Theatre Company, Triangle LGBTQ+ Cultural Centre, 

Speaking Volumes, SLOGhouse, The Word, Poetry London, CRIPtic Arts, The 

Fellowship Inn, Youth First and all who play a part in the Festival. Thanks to 

our designer Patricia Ferguson. 

Thank you to our Festival volunteers, as well as the great artists, BSL 

interpreters, live captioners, photographers and support staff who are 

contributing to this year’s programme. 

Most of all, thank you to you, for coming and supporting the Festival.

Deptford Literature Festival 2023 Programme

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